Jeep Cherokee can be hacked via entertainment system, Wired reportsHackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek demonstrated to Wired how Jeep Cherokees can be hacked via the vehicle’s entertainment system, giving an attacker wireless control of the automobile and its systems. Miller and Valasek previously demonstrated hacks they were able to perpetrate against Ford (F) Escape and Toyota (TM) Prius vehicles, the report noted. Other publicly traded automakers include General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link

Verizon sees percentage of activations on installments continuing to grow in Q3Shammo said customer demand for device installment plans has increased, noting that the percentage of phone activations on installments grew to 49% in Q2, compared with 39% in Q1 and 18% a year ago. Phone activations on device installment plans totaled 4.7M in the quarter and Verizon now has more than 14M customers on these plans, representing about 16% of its postpaid phone base. The company believes that the percentage of phone activations on installments will continue to increase and will likely be around 60% in Q3. Comments made by Verizon CFO Fran Shammo speaking on the company's earnings conference call.

Earnings Watch: Verizon to report Q2 results after AOL acquisitionVerizon Communications (VZ) is expected to report second quarter earnings before the market open on Tuesday, July 21, with a conference call scheduled for 8:30 am ET. Verizon is a holding company providing communications, information and entertainment. EXPECTATIONS: Analysts are looking for earnings per share of $1.01 on revenue of $32.45B, according to First Call. The consensus range for EPS is 93c-$1.05 on revenue of $31.75B-$33.0B. LAST QUARTER: Verizon reported first quarter EPS of $1.02 against estimates for 95c on revenue of $32B against estimates for $32.27B. Verizon Wireless had 565,000 retail postpaid net additions in Q1, a 4.8% increase compared with first-quarter 2014. At the end of Q1, the company had 108.6M retail connections, a 5.1% year-over-year increase, and had 102.6M retail postpaid connections. The company added 621,000 4G smartphones to its customer base in Q1. In light of a net decline in 3G smartphones, overall smartphone growth totaled 247,000. The company also added 820,000 4G tablets and reported net declines of 385,000 basic phones and 188,000 prepaid devices in Q1. 4G devices now constitute approximately 70% of the retail postpaid connections base, up from 49% a year ago – with the 4G LTE network handling about 86% of total wireless data traffic in Q1. At 1.03% in Q1, retail postpaid churn improved both sequentially and year over year. Retail postpaid smartphone customer churn was less than 0.9%. Verizon added 133K net new FiOS Internet, and 90K net new FiOS Video connections in Q1. Verizon had totals of 6.7M FiOS Internet and 5.7M FiOS Video connections at the end of the first quarter, representing year-over-year increases of 9.4% and 7.9%, respectively. CEO Lowell McAdam said, “We are confident in our ability to maintain momentum and continue to add value for customers and shareholders.” On May 12, Verizon announced it would acquire AOL for $50 per share, or $4.4B. The transaction was completed on June 23. On May 19, speaking at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, CFO Fran Shammo said he expects net phone additions in Q2. ANALYST REACTION: Street research has been mostly mixed in the weeks leading up to Verizon’s Q2 earnings report. On May 12, Macquarie downgraded Verizon to Underperform from Neutral with a $45 price target to reflect a weaker 2016 and 2017 earnings outlook. The firm's analyst believed management has made a series of questionable strategic moves beginning with the Vodafone (VOD) deal that will depress earnings. Recent advertising promotions are likely to pressure 2015 margins and ARPU and LTE capacity issues are expected in certain markets later in the year. Macquarie is surprised Verizon shares have held in around $50 with treasury yields rising and increasing Q2 promotions and does not believe this is sustainable ahead of a reset in consensus estimates. Conversely, on July 9, Stifel resumed coverage of Verizon with a Buy rating and price target of $60 per share. PRICE ACTION: Verizon’s shares are down about 3% since the company's Q1 report. Over the past twelve months, they are down about 5.7%. In afternoon trading ahead of Tuesday's Q2 report, Verizon’s shares are up 0.6%.

HERE offering free HD map data for automated vehicle testsHERE, a Nokia (NOK) company, announced it is making high-definition mapping data of sections of public roads in four countries available to all automotive companies to support their highly automated vehicle initiatives. HERE is offering HD mapping data of specific stretches of open road in Silicon Valley and Michigan in the United States, as well as in France and Germany, to all carmakers and automotive suppliers for test purposes. HERE plans to offer data for Japan too later this year. HERE is currently working with more than 10 "leading automotive companies" on automated driving projects, the company said. Publicly traded automakers include Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).